To give other people access to a file or folder in the Drive app, you can send them a link to open and access the item.

Open the Drive app.

Touch the grey i next to a file's name. If you're currently viewing or editing a file, touch the grey i in the top right corner of the screen.

Under “Who has access”, touch the Link icon to allow for a link to your file to be shareable. The text should say “Link sharing is ON”.

The link has been copied to your web clipboard and can be pasted into an email or chat to share with others. To view the file, others can click on the link.

To change how visible your file is or to stop allowing others to access your file using the link, touch the Link icon again. Then, choose to allow others with the link to be able to view, comment on, or edit the file, or turn off sharing by link altogether.

Why are others viewing my file when I share it with a link?

When you click the Link icon , link sharing is turned on. This means that the visibility of your file or folder is automatically changed so that anyone with the link can view it, regardless of whether or not you’ve shared the link with them directly. To stop allowing others to see your file through the link, follow step 5 in the instructions above.

I shared the link with someone - why do they have to request access?

If the visibility of your file is set to “Off - only specific people can access” before or after you share a link to the file, the person you’ve shared with will have to request permission to view the file. If you want the user to be able to see the file, open the file and either:

Touch the grey i in the top right > Touch the Share icon > Add the user’s email address and choose their access level for the file > Touch Add

You can work on Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides at the same time as someone else. Anyone viewing the file will see edits made in real time, regardless of device. For example, changes you make in the app on your iPhone or iPad will show automatically for others viewing the file on a desktop computer.